


retrieve

by anachronist



Series: a measure of time and effort [2]
Category: CLAMP - Works, xxxHoLic, モブサイコ100 | Mob Psycho 100
Genre: Crossovers & Fandom Fusions, Gen, Mogami Arc (Mob Psycho 100), Please don't repost this fic on other sites, Shopkeeper Watanuki, reigen being reigen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-04
Updated: 2020-06-04
Packaged: 2021-03-03 20:41:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,907
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24541753
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/anachronist/pseuds/anachronist
Summary: There was a stern-looking temple priest standing by the stone staircase leading to the client's location.Reigen Arataka, the Greatest Psychic of the Twenty-First Century, meets Doumeki Sayaka.That introduction could've gone better.
Series: a measure of time and effort [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1758682
Comments: 10
Kudos: 36





	retrieve

Three grateful souls had come and gone when he received the call.

"A summons?"

"Aa." There was a crinkle of paper from Sayaka's end of the line. "From Asagiri Masashi. Information will be given onsite - it's in a house away from the city. The Head Priest of the Houjou Shrine got the same invite."

"...hmm." Watanuki wrapped the phone cord around his finger, his gaze affixed at a point beyond the black spiral. Foreboding. Anxiety. Anguish. Anticipation, from another source. Shrouded intent. Resentment. There was nothing more he could glean unless he paid a price for a request that wasn't his to take. "What sort of person is this Asagiri?"

"A millionaire." Sayaka sounded like he was frowning. "Old money. He's offering a reward for this. His grandfather was a patron of the Houjous, but his father broke off ties."

"I see." Losing a client in that manner wasn't unheard of. For someone to reach out so suddenly with a hefty incentive, however, meant one thing. "Desperate times call for desperate measures."

"Hn." More silence from Sayaka, heavy with contemplation. Then, "I don't like this."

Taken aback, Watanuki could only look at his phone's dial pad as if it would allow him to look past the black plastic and peer at Sayaka's expression. Not having an unchanging face in front of him meant he could focus on the other's voice. If he wasn't mistaken, Sayaka sounded rather peeved, like the time when he was four and Mokona play-threatened to eat his mochi.

A _Doumeki_ was complaining to _him._ Would wonders ever cease?

(Sayaka's great grandfather, of course, did exactly that on occasion, often communicated by glaring as that big lug was wont to do.)

Watanuki's exasperation carried over to his tone.

"Then why call me at all?" He pointed at the phone with the same briskness he would've used to tap Sayaka's shoulder. That family's stubbornness wasn't anything new, and there was usually only one way this ended. "You, of all people, shouldn't have trouble saying no."

The answering click of Sayaka's tongue grated on his nerves more than usual. Before Watanuki's irritation gained momentum and took over, however, he found himself rudely interrupted.

"It's not just us." Sayaka's tone was grave. "Other exorcists, psychics and mediums were invited, even from Seasoning City."

Where Kagayama worked with his Master.

The air shifted. A price given, a wish to be fulfilled, the weaving of a net. Bringers of news. Rumors. A warning. Two warnings. Warmth seeped up his spine to the back of his neck, radiating to the tips of his fingers. 

Kohane's own gifts protected her descendants, granting them the sight that Watanuki couldn't share with them when his own remained tied to one who was gone. Even without foresight, Sayaka might've sensed the aura that lingered in the missive sent to him and, through it, the circumstances that lead up to the placement of its wax seal.

Doumeki and Kohane. Really. After all this time, even after he watched their son grow and repentantly call him 'Kimihiro-jiisan' until his own passing, Watanuki still wasn't used to it.

"Bring those three here after," he said, halfway between physical reality and pieces falling into place. "It's best if you don't go into the house yourself, but you and yours will be criticized for it."

A grunt. Sayaka, it seemed, was prepared for the last part. "And during?"

The Shopkeeper closed his eyes. 

Opened them.

Shut out the room, and the air was still.

Opened them again, and found himself standing over a barrier that covered the sky in a world that was reversed. Watanuki knelt on one knee and placed the flat of his palm over the clear surface, feeling its deceptive tranquility prickle his skin.

This was a pressure cooker that concealed the fog of its steam, and something far older than its creator prevented him from slipping past it.

Even he, in other words, couldn't intervene with such a critical moment, and the price he was meant to ask for earlier was too small for such a move.

However, he received a request to grant safe passage, and that's what he'd do.

The Shopkeeper exhaled, and was once more in a narrow corridor of clear walls and polished floors, holding a black rotary dial phone. Around him, the Shop thrummed.

"I need to prepare something," he said. "When are you expected?"

000

There was a stern-looking temple priest standing by the stone staircase leading to the client's location with a long-tailed parakeet on his shoulder. The pet aside, the man's presence wasn't surprising, though this meant Reigen had to worry about competition. What caught him off-guard, on the other hand, was Mob's hesitant step, before the kid jogged up to the man.

"Sayaka-san?"

"Yo."

Reigen's brows shot up as he looked at the guy again. Mob didn't mention his archery teacher was a priest, let alone an exorcist. From a glance, Doumeki Sayaka didn't look like someone Mob would feel comfortable approaching - his aloofness made him seem like the kind of guy who'dve been fawned over in high school as the mysterious cool guy, but that kind of approach fell apart in the workforce where being young and intimidating was frowned upon.

Then again, Mob did say Doumeki worked at the university. Maybe he didn't have to worry about appearances so much when he didn't have to hustle for business, and having an impressive poker face was probably reassuring for his temple's patrons.

"What are you doing here," Mob asked as Reigen caught up to the pair.

Before Reigen could cut in to introduce himself, Doumeki replied as he retrieved another wax-sealed invitation from the folds of his kimono.

"He told me to bring you to the Shop after." He paused, looked at Reigen and a spot over Reigen's shoulder, and nodded. "All three of you. Be on your guard, Shigeo."

Wait. All three? 

That meant -

"Even Ekubo?" Mob, too, seemed surprised. No input from Ekubo, but that green blob wasn't anywhere Reigen could see him.

"Aa," intoned Doumeki.

"Just this once," said another voice, and the parakeet flew from Doumeki to perch on Mob's shoulder. Its beak moved, and _Christ_ it could talk!? "Someone made a wish."

\- or maybe Doumeki was a hobby ventriloquist, because birds _don't talk,_ and the guy was a decent actor if he could go from a deep, serious tenor to an uncharacteristic cryptic baritone. Reigen reached into his jacket pocket to retrieve a business card, pinching himself in the process, and unfroze his smile to something more natural and business-like.

"I don't believe we've met," he said with a polite nod, presenting his card with well-practiced ease. "Reigen Arataka, the Greatest Psychic of the Twenty-First Century. You must be Mob's teacher! He's told me about you."

"Mn." Doumeki looked at Reigen, down to the business card, then back to Reigen's face. "Doumeki."

That was it. No other greetings exchanged, no trade of numbers, no small talk. The corners of Reigen's smile tightened an infinitesimal inch as a drop of sweat rolled down his back, hidden by his dress shirt and suit jacket. What the hell was he supposed to do with that introduction? To make matters worse, _Mob's_ expression was lighter, meaning the kid was happy that the two adults he trusted were finally meeting. There was no way Reigen could dismiss - or diss - the guy to end this awkward pause!

Then the parakeet saved the day by swooping in, taking Reigen's card with its beak and, after depositing the thick paper into Doumeki's waiting hand, smacked its tail feathers across the man's unchanged expression on its way to its original perch.

"Rude," it harrumphed, looking away with an upturned beak. "Who equates receiving bento with a calling card, hmm?"

So this was a pretend double act? Not that he got that last joke or how someone even connected those two items. Maybe Doumeki liked the bento Mob gave him? Reigen chuckled, a polite release of breath that allowed him to release the tension of his shoulders and strode forward, clapping Doumeki's free shoulder.

"Nice one." He gave a thumbs up. "Got me there. Great act you've got - I didn't even see what cues you were giving the bird. Trained it yourself?"

There was a tug on his sleeve. Reigen turned to see a nervous Mob, slightly pale and biting his lip.

"Master," he mumbled. Swallowed. Tried again. "Th-that's not-"

"If there's anyone here who's trained well," the bird huffed, all prim and fluffed, "it's my errand boy when he goes grocery shopping."

The corner of Doumeki's eye twitched.

Reigen frowned, looking between the parakeet and Doumeki as he gave Mob a thumbs up behind his back with his fre hand - don't worry, kid, he's got this, no teachers were getting disrespected today - before leaning closer to the latter and whispering. 

"Hey, man, you don't have to pretend a bird's walking all over you. Not that I'm judging - we all have needs and personal issues to deal with - but you don't have to do that in front of me, okay? We're all friends here." He gave a consoling pat on Doumeki's shoulder for good measure. "If it makes you feel better, I'll keep this a secret. How does that sound?"

All Reigen got for his sympathy were Doumeki's unimpressed snort and a mouthful of tail feathers.

000

"Idiot," Ekubo grimaced at him hours later, the expression off-putting on Mob's face. "Why didn't you shut up when Shigeo tried stopping you?"

Reigen clucked his tongue and stuck a pinky in his ear. Now that they've tied up the unconscious Minori, all they could do was wait for Mob to handle it so they could go home - or to wherever Doumeki was taking them, and Ekubo, while clearly uncomfortable, was miraculously urging him to go along.

"This about the bird thing again?"

"No shit," Ekubo muttered with a quick glance at the ruined door. Doumeki wasn't back yet from his spot at the door. He'd asked for the security guy's number once they reached the mansion's gate, and it was paying off now: Asagiri's security team was now calling for an ambulance and preparing to assist the crowd of psychics that'd rush out of the room once they all woke up and the door opened. Whenever _that_ was. "It was someone's familiar, and you saw what it could do."

Everyone who was still conscious at the time certainly did - the moment Mob's spirit dove into Minori's body, the bird zoomed in with him, transforming into a streak of light. Ekubo and Doumeki were the only two who weren't surprised: the former was just relieved that he didn't have to dodge Mogami's insane kicks anymore. And Doumeki?

The guy looked concerned. It was the most emotion Reigen had seen on the man's face, and he only recognized it thanks to having years of spotting Mob's shifts in mood.

"'Bout time you talked," Reigen grumbled, giving Ekubo the stink eye, "since you didn't even show up until that guy wandered off when we got here."

"You don't get it," Ekubo said, crossing his arms and pointing at Reigen, "but I'll let it slide, 'cause you wouldn't have heard of 'em. You might be a fraud, but you sure as hell don't need their help, and that's saying something."

That cleared up absolutely nothing. Reigen drummed his fingers on his knee. He would've pulled Ekubo's cheeks by now, but that was a no-go while he was controlling Mob's body.

"So spell it out for me. What's the deal with them?"

It was hard to miss the twist in Ekubo's expression at the word 'deal.'

"Your pal over there's from a line of exorcists. Stupidly powerful ones at that. If I was any weaker, I'd get sent to hell - or reincarnated, whatever - if I stick too close." Sighing, Ekubo stood up and brushed off his sleeves. "He's got this aura of purity around him, like the barrier Mob's put up around his house without noticing. Heck, I can only stand it right now 'cause I'm in Shigeo's body. His boss, on the other hand -"

He shuddered and leaned in to mutter in Reigen's ear. 

"Careful with that guy. He's like you, but a hundred times worse. Say the wrong thing and you could lose your soul to him. Not even Shigeo can do shit about it."

"Yeah?" Reigen gave him a look, daring him to pull the other one. "What, you've met him? And how's he going to do that? Curse me?"

"They're pretty popular in the spirit world." Ekubo ran a hand down his face, shaking his head. That reply counted as a no, he only heard about it. "Don't say I didn't warn you."

Doumeki's footsteps echoed in the otherwise empty hall, and Reigen didn't have a chance to clear that up.

Damn.

"Hey," he greeted and jerked his head at the direction of the door. "How're things looking?"

"Door's still stuck," Doumeki intoned, leaning on the pillar next to Minase's unconscious body and crossing his arms. Working on a crisis seemed to make the guy chattier, and he didn't bat an eyelash when Ekubo shifted closer to Reigen. In fact, he hadn't made a move at all, which was weird in light of what Reigen had learned - didn't exorcists usually have a thing for expelling evil spirits on sight? Part of the job and all. "A battering ram won't be enough to break through."

"Can't you do it?"

"Not that kind of psychic," Doumeki said, brow creasing in consternation - a sore spot? Old frustration? Both? Probably both with the way he placed a hand over Minori's head, gentle and protective. "I can only see spirits and exorcise them. Taking out its source should disable the barrier. However, this girl has at least four souls within her. Too risky." 

In other words, Doumeki's powers were like chemotherapy, taking out the good with the bad. No wonder he hadn't joined in the brawl earlier, choosing instead to stand near Reigen and Mob while everyone else ended up decorating the walls and the floor.

"Hang on," Ekubo cut in. "'At least four?'"

"Asagiri. Kageyama. Watanuki." Three names, three fingers. Then, Doumeki opened his palm upright, his golden eyes clear and piercing when he looked at Ekubo. "Mogami and those he ate. You know why."

"That's what's taking him so long?" Ekubo recoiled and glanced away, hissing through his teeth. "Bullshit."

Seeing Doumeki shrug from the corner of his eye, Reigen checked his watch.

"It hasn't been thirty minutes."

"Shigeo should've been done in one," Ekubo countered, crouching on Minori's other side. "His sense of self will fall apart the longer this goes, and he'll die! Hey - you said the Shopkeeper's in there, too?"

"Aa." Doumeki crossed his arms, and that was the only time Ekubo leaned in to check Minori's face through the gaps of her unruly hair. "Not for Asagiri or Mogami."

"Shit." Something about that must've made sense to Ekubo, with how he sat on his haunches and ran a hand down his face. "That kind of request, huh."

"Ekubo," started Reigen, having enough of a conversation he could only half-follow. "Mob can solve this. He's strong enough to do so."

 _Unlike me,_ he didn't say - not with Doumeki around, who wasn't as rotten as him or Ekubo.

"Quit being naive." Coming to a decision, Ekubo pointed at the door and blasted it open. Everyone who was awake rushed out, and a voice over a megaphone - Asagiri's security team - could be heard from the other side. "The next time this guy wakes up, we're finished."

000

Their lives were not, in fact, finished when both Mob and Minori woke up, and Reigen got to see Doumeki assume a trained archer's stance until Mob placed a hand on the guy's arm, shaking his head.

"It's okay," he said. 

Unbeknownst to Reigen, who was busy untying Asagiri while thinking that Doumeki was posing for no reason at all, Mogami, without attacking anyone else, disappeared - or tried to, until Matsuo caught the spirit in one of his special vials.

"Hey, Ekubo," said Reigen as the last of the ropes fell away. "What's with the bird song earlier?"

The spirit only harrumphed, crossed his arms, and looked away.

Rude. To think they'd come to an understanding with how Mob was still useful to Ekubo and, implicitly, to himself. That talk would've been much easier if Doumeki hadn't hung around, but that guy's boulder-like demeanor made it clear that he, too, wasn't leaving without them.

Then again, if what Ekubo said earlier about Doumeki's boss was true, maybe he'd have picked up on it. Unlike Shigeo - hell, even the other guys in this psychic business - that guy didn't look easy to fool.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


000

_Took you long enough,_ said a voice as Ekubo tried pushing through the barrier, and the spirit had the distinct feeling he was being watched. _There's only so much that can be done through dreaming in this virtual world. Kageyama-kun's had a rough time these past six months._

"What the fuck," Ekubo muttered, before he got a surge of energy that allowed him to push through the net. When he fell, he heard the flapping of wings and a calming trill. 

Well, whatever.

As long as Shigeo was still moldable after having both Mogami and the Shopkeeper in his mind, he could still use the kid.

**Author's Note:**

> Comments are appreciated <3


End file.
